The Way of the Bow

The sky was clear and the sun was bright. In the afternoon, Miketsu sat at her desk after a casual lunch, propping her head up with one hand as she looked lazily at the girl in front of her. Her voice carried a hint of confusion.

"Huh? A club?"

"That's right! I've noticed that Fushimi-kun always goes home quite early every day, so you haven't joined any clubs yet, right?" The girl sitting at the desk behind her, Hayakawa Rin, spoke with a smile. Facing her words, Miketsu, who had been about to take a nap on her desk, narrowed her eyes slightly and then sat up straight in her seat.

"Yeah, I haven't joined any clubs... I didn't apply for any because none of them seemed interesting," Miketsu said calmly to the girl. She hadn't expected the other girl to respond so excitedly.

"How can you say that? High school life is incomplete without club activities! This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Fushimi-kun!" Rin leaned her hands on Miketsu's desk, her expression earnest. Hearing this, Miketsu raised an eyebrow.

"But... the recruitment period is already over. Few clubs are still looking for members, right? Even if I wanted to join now, it wouldn't matter."

"Don't worry, there are still clubs recruiting. If you want to join now, there are plenty of options!" Rin leaned closer. Miketsu pursed her lips and replied flatly.

"So... you're trying to recruit me?"

"Yep! Exactly. I'm a newcomer in the Kyudo club. Since we just got a new batch of protective gear and some people quit because they couldn't handle the initial training, the captain decided to recruit a few more. He told us first-years to go out and find people." Rin nodded. Miketsu's expression shifted as she asked.

"The Kyudo club? Why did you think of me?"

At Miketsu's question, Rin thought for a moment and then said.

"Well... because Fushimi-kun is so good at language and knows so many kanji... and the way you talk often sounds like an ancient person from a jidaigeki. Since Kyudo is a traditional skill, I thought you'd have a great future in the club!" Rin said. Miketsu couldn't help but let out a dry laugh, thinking that this girl's logic was quite peculiar.

"Heh... sorry, but I'm afraid I don't have much interest in Kyudo. I don't have any plans to join a club right now," Miketsu said with a smile. However, Rin didn't seem to have any intention of giving up her persuasion.

"Don't reject it just yet! Come with me to the club after school to take a look. I think you'll change your mind once you see it!"

Seeing Rin's persistence, Miketsu was slightly taken aback, then shook her head slightly.

"Fine... since you're so insistent, I'll go take a look." Miketsu agreed. She figured that since her main task was to experience life, it wouldn't hurt to look around, especially since she had been so warmly invited.

"Ha! That's great! In that case, I'll take you there after school." Seeing Miketsu agree, Rin returned to her seat in high spirits. Miketsu smiled and looked out the window.

It was a good time to give Miko the afternoon off so she could go out and play.

With that thought, Miketsu took out her phone and sent a "divine oracle" to Miko via text message.

...

Several hours later, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day's classes. After packing her bag, Miketsu left the teaching building and followed Rin. After a few twists and turns, they finally arrived at a relatively secluded place—the school's Kyudo hall.

"Wait here for a second, Fushimi-kun. I'll go inside and call the captain."

As Rin spoke, she ran inside. Miketsu stood outside the Kyudo hall, listening to the vibration of bowstrings from within. She nodded slightly.

'Extracurricular life in Japanese middle schools is quite rich... they even have such a large venue dedicated to a club...'

While Miketsu was lost in thought, Rin finally emerged from the hall. Following her was a tall young man with short black hair and glasses, wearing a chest-guarded Kyudo uniform. He smiled at Miketsu and greeted her.

"Hello, I'm the Kyudo club captain, Matsugami Shigeji. You must be Rin's classmate. Are you looking to join?"

"Yes, hello... I'm Fushimi Inaba. I'd like to observe first, if that's alright, Matsugami-senpai?" Miketsu replied with a smile. Hearing the cute underclassman's request, Matsugami Shigeji agreed readily.

"No problem, come in and look around. Our Kyudo club always welcomes newcomers. If you have any questions during your visit, feel free to ask me or any of the other senpai inside. We'll be happy to tell you everything."

"Then I'll trouble you..."

Miketsu nodded and followed Matsugami Shigeji into the hall. Inside, she saw clean floors and about a dozen boys and girls busy with their own tasks. Some first-year students in school uniforms were undergoing posture training under the guidance of upperclassmen. On the semi-open shooting range, several senior students in protective gear were drawing their bows and shooting arrows with dignified postures. A few pieces of calligraphy hung on the walls to add to the atmosphere.

Watching the students practicing their shots, Miketsu felt a spark of interest. She realized it had been a long time since she had held a bow.

"Can I try a shot?"

Miketsu asked Matsugami Shigeji. He was slightly surprised, so Miketsu quickly added another sentence.

"I have some basic experience from before, though I might be a bit rusty since I haven't practiced in a long while."

"Oh, so you have experience. In that case, there's no problem. Wait a moment, I'll have someone prepare the equipment for you." Matsugami Shigeji walked to the side. Rin, who was standing next to Miketsu, asked curiously.

"Eh... Fushimi-kun, did you join a Kyudo club in middle school too?"

"No, my family runs a shrine. I used an azusa bow when I served as a miko," Miketsu replied. Hearing this, Rin was even more surprised.

"But... a ritual azusa bow and Kyudo are very different. Miko usually just draw the bow without actually shooting an arrow..."

"It's fine. I didn't just use the bow for rituals; I also used it for hunting and things like that."

"Hunting? Do miko need to hunt?" Rin looked stunned at Miketsu's answer, and Miketsu replied with a smile.

"It was just a personal interest. Back in my hometown, I used to hunt snakes or fish to eat."

"Hunting fish and snakes to eat... can you even eat snakes?" Hearing Miketsu's words, Rin couldn't help but swallow hard. Miketsu continued to smile and reply.

"Of course, and they taste quite good..." As Miketsu spoke, she licked her lips as if reminiscing about the taste. Seeing this, Rin shuddered, a strange chill running down her spine.

Just then, Matsugami Shigeji returned. He held a wakyu in one hand and a bag in the other. He walked up to Miketsu and spoke.

"This is the club's public protective gear and bow. The girls' locker room is over there. If you want to try, you can go change into the gear and come back. I'll watch you shoot a few arrows to see how your foundation is."

"Thank you... but don't go to all that trouble. I never used protective gear when I shot arrows before. I'll just try one simple shot first..." As Miketsu spoke, she took the wakyu but returned the protective gear. Matsugami Shigeji was stunned for a moment, then looked worried.

"No gear? That... you might get hurt, especially by the bowstring..."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing..." With that, Miketsu took the long wakyu and headed toward the shooting range. Rin and Matsugami Shigeji followed her with worried expressions, but seeing the confidence in Miketsu's eyes, Matsugami didn't stop her.

Miketsu arrived at an empty target. Still in her school uniform and without any protective gear, she prepared to draw the bow. Her actions caught the attention of the other members practicing nearby. They wanted to see the newcomer's trial shot. Because of her beauty, a crowd quickly gathered around her.

"Be very careful shooting without gear. A bow isn't that easy to master. It hurts a lot if the string hits you... Even if you've practiced before, you're still young. As long as you can hit the target, that's good enough. Don't be nervous," Matsugami Shigeji continued from the side. Miketsu smiled slightly but didn't respond.

Amidst the whispers of the crowd, Miketsu took an arrow. She wondered if she should avoid using causality vision for the first shot to see how many rings she could hit with her own strength. When the onlookers saw that Miketsu's starting posture wasn't standard, the whispering grew louder. Matsugami Shigeji frowned, wondering if he should ask Miketsu to stop.

Ignoring everything else, Miketsu, holding a bow again for the first time in a thousand years, took on a solemn expression. Images of her using a divine bow to fire arrows of demon-slaying light flashed through her mind. Determined not to use causality vision, she relied on her old combat memories to correct her aim. She prepared to grip the bow firmly and draw it, just as she had in her memories.

Snap!

Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out, echoing through the hall. The spectators were startled by the noise and looked around to find the source. Finally, their eyes landed on Miketsu—or rather, on her hand.

At that moment, the long wakyu in Miketsu's hand had snapped completely from where she was gripping it. The long body of the bow broke and fell to the floor, no longer connected to the part she held. Miketsu stood there awkwardly, holding the broken lower half of the bow, which soon slipped from her hand and fell to the floor as well.

'Oops... I accidentally used my old strength to grip the bow...'

Miketsu complained to herself. Before drawing a bow, one must grip the body firmly, and she had accidentally used the strength she once used to hold a divine bow on this bamboo wakyu... The natural result was that the bow had been crushed and snapped in two before the arrow could even be fired.

This was... a bit embarrassing.

Miketsu thought as the Kyudo club members around her fell silent. Everyone stared at the two pieces of the bow lying on the floor; no one said a word. Matsugami Shigeji stood frozen in a state of pure shock.

In all his time shooting, Matsugami had seen bowstrings snap many times, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone snap the body of the bow.

And it hadn't even broken during the draw. It had been crushed while she was just preparing to draw it... Was it because of her grip? The grip strength of a high school freshman? That was impossible! Something had to be wrong...

"Senpai... there seems to be a quality issue with this bow." Scattering the splinters from her hand, Miketsu looked at Matsugami Shigeji with an innocent expression. It took him a long time to react.

"Ah... this, this... it seems there really is a quality issue. After all, it's a public bow... it's been used for a long time, so it's inevitable that it would break..." Matsugami spoke slowly, still in shock. Miketsu turned and asked.

"So, do I need to pay for it?"

"I, I don't think so. After all, the problem was with our bow..." Matsugami said slowly. No matter what, he couldn't bring himself to believe that someone could snap a bow with their bare hands...

"Is that so? Then I'm relieved..."

Just as Matsugami said that, Miketsu slightly loosened her clenched hand. From her fist, fine bamboo dust flowed out like sand, spilling onto the floor. Matsugami and the surrounding members were struck with terror at the sight.

Clearly, the powder formed under extreme pressure told Matsugami and the others the truth about how the bow had been destroyed. Matsugami technically could have asked for compensation, but no matter what, he couldn't say the words.

He felt that looking for trouble with this girl would carry unimaginable risks, so it was better not to ask... For a moment, this was the shared thought of every member in the Kyudo club.

Facing this situation, Miketsu shrugged, thinking that perhaps she shouldn't join any clubs after all.